Council Building Control Refusing To Sign Off New Build
Discussion
I'm very pissed off. I've just finished a 6 bed 6 bathroom new build. I've got all the necessary documentation, EPC and so on for a completion certificate from building control to be issued.
I need this to file my VAT reclaim. This is a significant sum as you can imagine.
I'm with local authority building control and they're quite simply refusing to come out and do a final inspection for the sign off.
Apparently there is only one member of staff, everyone has quit or off on the sick.
I haven't even dealt with this solo warrior, reaching them is impossible. I'm dealing with barely sentient switch board person.
I've been told my inspection will happen "when they're able to" with no indication whatsoever as to when that will be. Could be next week, could be next year.
I can't get my VAT refund without the sign off, plus I want closure anyway even if I wasn't owed a year's salary.
My separate building inspector appointed by the warranty company has said they could take over building control as they've seen foundations and roof, but they'd require the council to relinquish their position.
Barely sentient switch board person has said that won't happen, I'll just have to wait.
This just isn't acceptable, I've paid for this service and they aren't providing it.
Any advice on how I should proceed?
I need this to file my VAT reclaim. This is a significant sum as you can imagine.
I'm with local authority building control and they're quite simply refusing to come out and do a final inspection for the sign off.
Apparently there is only one member of staff, everyone has quit or off on the sick.
I haven't even dealt with this solo warrior, reaching them is impossible. I'm dealing with barely sentient switch board person.
I've been told my inspection will happen "when they're able to" with no indication whatsoever as to when that will be. Could be next week, could be next year.
I can't get my VAT refund without the sign off, plus I want closure anyway even if I wasn't owed a year's salary.
My separate building inspector appointed by the warranty company has said they could take over building control as they've seen foundations and roof, but they'd require the council to relinquish their position.
Barely sentient switch board person has said that won't happen, I'll just have to wait.
This just isn't acceptable, I've paid for this service and they aren't providing it.
Any advice on how I should proceed?
I'm slightly doubtful there is only 'one' LA BC officer in your area 
But:-
Contact the head of BC - there should be 2 these days (in my LA anyway)
Contact the BC Service head/director
Contact/moan to your Local Councillor
Ombudsman
Bear in mind (at my LA anyway - I'm sure this is usual) the Officers will probably only be in the office first thing (think before 10:00) then they will be off on site visits.
Plenty of Building control people on here who may offer better advice later
But:-
Contact the head of BC - there should be 2 these days (in my LA anyway)
Contact the BC Service head/director
Contact/moan to your Local Councillor
Ombudsman
Bear in mind (at my LA anyway - I'm sure this is usual) the Officers will probably only be in the office first thing (think before 10:00) then they will be off on site visits.
Plenty of Building control people on here who may offer better advice later
jules_s said:
I'm slightly doubtful there is only 'one' LA BC officer in your area
But:-
Contact the head of BC - there should be 2 these days (in my LA anyway)
Contact the BC Service head/director
Contact/moan to your Local Councillor
Ombudsman
Bear in mind (at my LA anyway - I'm sure this is usual) the Officers will probably only be in the office first thing (think before 10:00) then they will be off on site visits.
Plenty of Building control people on here who may offer better advice later
When I started the job, there were 6 or 7 different names, numbers and email addresses for various staff members on the council website. That's now all been deleted and replaced with a generic email, hence why I've been stuck with barely sentient switch board person. But:-
Contact the head of BC - there should be 2 these days (in my LA anyway)
Contact the BC Service head/director
Contact/moan to your Local Councillor
Ombudsman
Bear in mind (at my LA anyway - I'm sure this is usual) the Officers will probably only be in the office first thing (think before 10:00) then they will be off on site visits.
Plenty of Building control people on here who may offer better advice later
Despite what the warranty provider is telling you, they cannot take over the project from the local authority. The regulations don’t allow a transfer of projects in this way.
In relation to the completion inspection, if you genuinely have met all your statutory obligations, submitted all the relevant certification and evidence, the works are fully complete and compliant and you have served on the council the compliance declarations required of you and the other duty holders then I would be reminding them that under regulation 17 they must within 8 weeks of receiving notice of completion give you a completion certificate.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/2214/regu...
If however you have not done everything the law requires of you then do this first as this approach could backfire and only delay the process further.
In relation to the completion inspection, if you genuinely have met all your statutory obligations, submitted all the relevant certification and evidence, the works are fully complete and compliant and you have served on the council the compliance declarations required of you and the other duty holders then I would be reminding them that under regulation 17 they must within 8 weeks of receiving notice of completion give you a completion certificate.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/2214/regu...
If however you have not done everything the law requires of you then do this first as this approach could backfire and only delay the process further.
Unfortunately this is pretty much just the state of local authorities in 2026.
You can raise a formal complaint thought the council’s procedures. They should respond in full within about 12 weeks. But no guarantee that will resolve things but might light a fire under them to move you up the list.
Any mention of the ombudsman is pointless, you’re potentially looking at a year plus for a decision from them.
You can raise a formal complaint thought the council’s procedures. They should respond in full within about 12 weeks. But no guarantee that will resolve things but might light a fire under them to move you up the list.
Any mention of the ombudsman is pointless, you’re potentially looking at a year plus for a decision from them.
Tigerj said:
Unfortunately this is pretty much just the state of local authorities in 2026.
It s not just local authorities. Many approved inspectors are equally struggling and several other big names have failed and entered administration in recent years.The building control industry as a whole has lost 40% of its surveyors since publication of the Building Safety Act and registration of the industry.
When did you ask? Homes always take a couple of weeks to plan.
They will have diary invites with the big builders well in advance and no doubt their own public buildings to sign off so they can be used.
They should ramp up the fees and offer a proper service, same with planning, it’s a shambles and a small cost in the grand scheme of projects.
They will have diary invites with the big builders well in advance and no doubt their own public buildings to sign off so they can be used.
They should ramp up the fees and offer a proper service, same with planning, it’s a shambles and a small cost in the grand scheme of projects.
smokey mow said:
The building control industry as a whole has lost 40% of its surveyors since publication of the Building Safety Act and registration of the industry.
As much as that? blimey - if it paid better I'd move over 
I only mentioned the Ombudsman as a last resort. I know our Manager(s) would jump on it if contacted (your comments about all of the new completion gumf noted as we were caught out initially by the extra paperwork involved)
I have a feeling our Authority also removed all contact details after publication of the Building Safety Act
As above local councillor and you mp.
The mp has no power but the council ceo does not want to get letters from the local mp and things do tend to happen.
Your mp normally wants to keep constituents happy so they write letters without much provocation. Just make it simple for him / her with the core facts and ask for their help.
Local counsellors are also quite pliable.
A letter to the prime minister cc the council leader and head of building control also gets people running. Clearly kier could not give a damn but again they just don't want the hassle so stuff happens. Their internal guides also have section on " what to do when something is escalated to the pm etc " which basically say just fix it or we will be in a world of paperwork for weeks.
The mp has no power but the council ceo does not want to get letters from the local mp and things do tend to happen.
Your mp normally wants to keep constituents happy so they write letters without much provocation. Just make it simple for him / her with the core facts and ask for their help.
Local counsellors are also quite pliable.
A letter to the prime minister cc the council leader and head of building control also gets people running. Clearly kier could not give a damn but again they just don't want the hassle so stuff happens. Their internal guides also have section on " what to do when something is escalated to the pm etc " which basically say just fix it or we will be in a world of paperwork for weeks.
Jeremy-75qq8 said:
As above local councillor and you mp.
The mp has no power but the council ceo does not want to get letters from the local mp and things do tend to happen.
Your mp normally wants to keep constituents happy so they write letters without much provocation. Just make it simple for him / her with the core facts and ask for their help.
Local counsellors are also quite pliable.
A letter to the prime minister cc the council leader and head of building control also gets people running. Clearly kier could not give a damn but again they just don't want the hassle so stuff happens. Their internal guides also have section on " what to do when something is escalated to the pm etc " which basically say just fix it or we will be in a world of paperwork for weeks.
I suspect it’ll depend on the council. But a mp letter doesn’t usually mean any more paperwork, it’s normally just an email back to the mp’s office saying that it’ll get processed in line with normal procedures.The mp has no power but the council ceo does not want to get letters from the local mp and things do tend to happen.
Your mp normally wants to keep constituents happy so they write letters without much provocation. Just make it simple for him / her with the core facts and ask for their help.
Local counsellors are also quite pliable.
A letter to the prime minister cc the council leader and head of building control also gets people running. Clearly kier could not give a damn but again they just don't want the hassle so stuff happens. Their internal guides also have section on " what to do when something is escalated to the pm etc " which basically say just fix it or we will be in a world of paperwork for weeks.
Tigerj said:
I suspect it ll depend on the council. But a mp letter doesn t usually mean any more paperwork, it s normally just an email back to the mp s office saying that it ll get processed in line with normal procedures.
Probably. I got mine to write about a stalled planing application and then got an immediate reply.
I also wrote to Starmer pretty much the day he was elected cc the head of the planning inspectorate about a 12 month delay on an appeal suggesting that if he wants to solve broken Britain he could start by firing the head of the planning inspectorate as he was clearly grossly incompetent. I got a reply to my appeal.
Kier funnily enough did not reply. No idea if the head of planing inspectorate got fired or not.
Remember you are not looking for favours but for people to discharge their statutory duty for which you have paid both tax and fees for them to do
LA Building Control seems to have gone to complete rat s
t everywhere. So much so that we are not even bothering with my son's project - there's no value in it (and as a chartered building surveyor I'm ensuring we meet or exceed the requirements of the Act). We can deploy the fee to better use on the actual building.
By the time he's lived in it and eventually sold it he'll just get insurance and be out of time on enforcement anyway. If it involved an extension we may have taken a different view but they can FRO as far as we are concerned.
Symptomatic of the terminal decline of the UK I'm afraid.
t everywhere. So much so that we are not even bothering with my son's project - there's no value in it (and as a chartered building surveyor I'm ensuring we meet or exceed the requirements of the Act). We can deploy the fee to better use on the actual building.By the time he's lived in it and eventually sold it he'll just get insurance and be out of time on enforcement anyway. If it involved an extension we may have taken a different view but they can FRO as far as we are concerned.
Symptomatic of the terminal decline of the UK I'm afraid.
whatxd said:
Thought I'd update to say that the house was signed off weeks ago. I reached out to the local councillor who to my surprise, came through for me. Building inspector soon came out and to be fair, didn't come with a grudge and singed it off.
Congratulations. I was in exactly the same position 15 years ago and if it wasn’t for an “encounter” in the council car park I would have been waiting a lot longer due to a nightmare BC officer. I was getting out of my Smart car and a woman (worked for the council) came up and asked me what it was like to drive (she was thinking about getting one). After a while she asked me why I was there, and I said I was having a nightmare with BC. It turns out her husband was head of BC and she said she would speak to him over the weekend and to give him a call on Monday. I did, and he sent out another BC that day and it was issued the next day. Result!I became a councillor a few years later and occasionally used to get complaints about BCOs. I used to make a point of going to their office and speaking to them face to face to sort it out, but the culture was very much not “can do”. It never changed in the time I was there unfortunately. It’s deeply frustrating when you are on the other end of it.
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